Ukraine winery owner calls for European wineries to house refugees

The founder of Ukraine’s Beykush winery wants to encourage wineries in Europe to take in refugees amid Russia’s invasion of the country, he told Decanter in a recent interview. 

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than three million refugees have fled Ukraine since 24 February, amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

N0w, 49-year-old Eugene Shneyderis, the owner of Beykush winery in Southern Ukraine, is urging Europe’s vintners to house refugees – inspired by a nearby wine company in Penedes, close to where he lives in Spain.

The winery was using accommodation that typically housed harvest workers to give refugees a place to stay.

“I have a winery. I understand that wineries right now have some possibility to take some refugees,” he told Decanter in an interview.

George Kachanouski, part of the teach team that created the icanhelp.host portal set up to help connect refugees with potential hosts, told Decanter that wineries would be a welcome location for refugees.

“I believe that the best accommodation for Ukrainian people right now is by nature, because they are in psychological shock.

“I think a wine farm is a perfect place to stay, get calm, recover, and then move on with your life.”

Elsewhere, the drinks community is coming up with initiatives in support and solidarity for Ukraine. The country’s Pravda brewery is calling on its peers around the world to show solidarity with Ukraine by brewing one of Pravda’s signature beers for charity – a feat the brewery has made possible by making all its recipes open-source on Facebook. You can read more on that here.

H/T: Decanter